In the 'Shennong Ben Cao Jing', tea is praised as the 'medicine for all diseases', highlighting its miraculous nature. China has an ancient saying: 'Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, encountered seventy-two poisons in a day, and was cured by tea.' Although this cannot be verified today, it sufficiently demonstrates the importance of tea in the minds of the ancients.
Modern people often suffer from rising deficient fire due to staying up late, consuming greasy food, or favoring dry and hot foods, leading to troubles like gum swelling or facial acne. Tea serves as an excellent remedy. The 'Compendium of Materia Medica' by the great Ming dynasty medical expert Li Shizhen records: 'Tea is bitter and cold, most effective in reducing fire, and also detoxifies alcohol and food, making one's spirit alert and clear, neither drowsy nor sleepy.'
Modern medical research shows that tea contains abundant tea polyphenols, one of the main components forming tea's aroma. Tea polyphenols are powerful antioxidant substances, with antioxidant capabilities 6-7 times that of vitamin E and 5-10 times that of vitamin C. Moreover, they are effective in very small amounts: 0.01-0.03% can take effect, without the potential side effects of synthetic compounds.
The oxidation of body cells leads to the inevitable progression of human aging, and antioxidants are substances that vigorously prevent this cellular oxidation. Substances like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, the mineral selenium, and tea polyphenols are such protectors resisting human aging. Although the aging process cannot be stopped, it can be slowed down. The prerequisite for slowing it down is having abundant anti-aging substances in the body. Therefore, people who consume more antioxidants can achieve a younger state than their actual age.
Some people also enjoy drinking tea but worry that their stomachs cannot handle it. In fact, even the same tea can have different properties depending on the processing method. For example, Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea, meaning the edges of the leaves are fermented while the center follows the green tea method, i.e., unfermented. A typical representative is Anxi Tieguanyin. Anxi Tieguanyin is a classic Oolong tea, combining the stomach-warming and nourishing effects of black tea while retaining the unique health properties of green tea. The pharmacological effects of Oolong tea are prominently seen in breaking down fat, weight loss, and body shaping. In Japan, it is called 'beauty tea' or 'fitness tea'.
Tea performs remarkably in lowering blood lipids, preventing cancer, resisting radiation, beautifying and nourishing the skin, refreshing and awakening the mind, protecting teeth, and improving eyesight, among other areas. It truly lives up to the reputation of 'medicine for all diseases'!